Belgium's fight against social fraud brought in €414m last year, a 7.6% increase compared with 2023, Social Fraud Control Minister Rob Beenders said on Monday.
Compared with 2024, however, revenues fell by more than 4%. The minister's office said that the comparison gives a distorted picture, pointing to the steady decline in income linked to the enforcement of coronavirus measures.
The crackdown extends beyond benefit fraud alone. In 2025, authorities recovered €255m in unpaid social security contributions and €120m in wrongfully claimed social benefits. A further €12m was imposed in administrative fines.
The number of individual investigations rose to 147,863 in 2025, up 7.3% from 137,796 in 2024.
Joint inspections stepped up
Last year, 15,337 joint inspections were carried out by two or more inspection services. The government also stepped up checks in the construction and hospitality sectors and targeted issues in major cities.
"We're conducting more checks, we're investigating more, and almost one in two investigations leads to concrete results. This is essential for a fair labour market," Beenders said.
